Knowing Christ

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; ~Philippians 3:10

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The Christian life is a journey of faith. We walk by faith and not by sight. Learning to walk by faith is not easy. It calls us to keep traveling even though we sometimes cannot see more than the step before us. It calls us to keep traveling even when things look very dark and uncertain. However, we must remember that we are on a spiritual quest as we walk by faith. This quest is designed to bring us closer to the Lord. This morning, we want to examine the essential elements in our quest to draw closer to the Lord.

There is the need for complete competence.

“That I may know him....” Complete competence knows the Lord thoroughly and intimately. It is a call beyond factual comprehension. It is learning to trust God in the valleys as well as on the mountains. It is grasping everything about His omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience. It is basking in His love, mercy, and grace. It is being completely honest when confessing sins to Him and realizing how undeserving we are of His forgiveness and mercy. It is realizing that failures in our life teach us how He compensates for it through His matchless strength.

There is the need for continuous conquering.

Paul said, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection.” The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is an indisputable doctrine of the Christian faith. When Christ arose from the dead, He conquered death and the devil! The power of the resurrection removes the boulders that impede our walk! The power of the resurrection brings life where death has settled in! The power of the resurrection demands that the tightly wounded and corrupting grave clothes be removed. The power of the resurrection sets us free! It enables us to conquer sin! It enables us to trust in the same supernatural power that brought Jesus again from the dead! Mark it down: there is no power that can outmatch resurrection power!

There is the need for constant conformity.

Paul spoke of “the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.” We are growing into the image of Christ. The perfect man is a man who is like Jesus. Conformity requires suffering. There is no escape from this. The fellowship of his sufferings includes rejection, being misunderstood, betrayal, experiencing disloyalty, defection by those close to you, anguish of soul, sadness, and loneliness. It is learning to die every day to self where you realize that you are not the most important person on the agenda. It is realizing that trials are designed to draw us closer to His side. Our spiritual quest brings us daily to the question: how much more am I like Jesus?

Our quest is to know Him completely. We are on a journey where Jesus is the goal in our life. We are not to live this life to glory in our wisdom, riches, or accomplishments. Our quest in life is to know that He is Lord and that there is none like Him. Have you been sidetracked in this quest? Then, realize that you can get back on track and continue on a journey that is fulfilling.

Have a confident God Morning!

Bible Reading Schedule: Psalm 36-39

#Philippians #KnowingChrist